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What Is THCV and What Are the Benefits of This Cannabinoid?

THCV, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is a compound in cannabis that offers a unique array of effects and medical benefits that sets it apart from other cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Whether you’re a medical marijuana patient looking for a particular type of relief or a casual consumer chasing a specific effect, we’d like to introduce you to this fascinating compound that’s sure to make major waves in the cannabis world as we discover and utilize its full potential.

What are THCV’s Effects and Benefits?

As its name suggests, THCV is similar to THC in molecular structure and psychoactive properties, but it provides a variety of pronounced and altogether different effects. A note for vaporizer enthusiasts: THCV has a boiling point of 428 °F (220 °C), so you’ll need to turn it up higher than you would THC.

THCV is an appetite suppressant. In contrast to THC, THCV may dull the appetite. This may be good for consumers focused on weight loss, but THCV should be avoided by patients treating appetite loss or anorexia.

THCV may help with diabetes.Research shows promise in THCV’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance.

Where Can I Find THCV?

So you’re looking for the effects mentioned above, but you aren’t sure where to start your search for high-THCV strains and products. Most strains only contain trace, undetectable amounts of THCV, making it difficult to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. We can assume that more THCV-rich products will be introduced alongside its growing popularity, but in the meantime, here are some useful hints for locating this rare therapeutic gem.

Look for African sativas. Lab results show that THCV is most abundant in sativas, particularly landrace strains from Africa. Durban Poison is one of the more common high-THCV strains, but other options can be found in the strain list below.

Ask about parent genetics. Having trouble finding an African sativa? Plenty of strains have hybridized African genetics that predispose it to a higher THCV potential. Cherry Pie, for example, may express a high THCV content by way of its Durban Poison parent. Look for lineage information in Leafly’s strain pages or ask your budtenders to point out their African hybrids.

High THCV Cannabis Strains

This list is by no means comprehensive, but it includes strains best known for their tendency toward higher-than-average THCV contents. These strains can be consumed in flower form or they can be processed into extracts, oils, and edibles for a higher concentration of cannabinoids. A few of the strains below, like Doug’s Varin and Pineapple Purps, were specially bred to contain higher levels of THCV. Again, be sure to steer your choices toward African sativas as they tend to contain the most THCV.

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Leafly `ohana, let’s not forget Maui Wowie.
Why was it the most famous sativa in the world in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s?
We didn’t know what to call it then except the WOW factor, but we do now, its THC-V.

B. Alvn

now onward to the other 200-300+ compounds…and then various combination effects of those…and then off those combinations with whatever your DNA is, whatever you’ve been eating, whatever the temperature and humidity and elevation is….face it, scientific analysis of a plant this complex is never going to work….it comes down to subjective experiences.

as i get older, read more, and just get more life experience period, the less faith i have in the latest religion known as science….and more faith in the old-school, time-tested systems of healing, magic, animism, …in all of which cannabis and other natural allies have long played a part, perhaps going back to times before we were techincally “homo sapiens” at all…think about that for awhile. a few decades of having microscopes and other (need i say, expensive) lab equipment, or perhaps a million or two year of subjective experience and knowledge and wisdom passed down from one generation to the next…….which do you really want to trust?

if a 4000 year old Chinese herbal lists cannabis (or whatever) as having value in curing pain (or whatever), how can any reasonably minded person could possibly not believe that. fuck western medicine and western science…its mostly about money, and just in the US the medical system kills 80,000 people a year…very likely a lot more than they supposedly “save”…. cannabis truly will be a gateway drug, showing people that yes, ancient methods work and we’ve been lied to for a long ass time by a lot of fucking crooks.